SIDE EFFECTS: Mirai Is Bad at Laughing
She’ll get there.
0 CommentsNewest Content
Capsule Review: Senran Kagura Burst Re:Newal
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0 CommentsI feel like there's a common problem where...
I feel like there’s a common problem where endgame/postgame content doesn’t get playtested and polished as much as the earlier portion of a game’s experience. If you’re playing the game like a normal person everything’s fine, but if you’re a completionist or you really like the game and you’re going hardcore into the optional objectives at the end, the tiny problems you didn’t even notice before get magnified and become really obnoxious.
And, like, this is probably a correct allocation of resources and I’m not advocating doing anything different. But it always makes me a bit sad when my devotion to a game is rewarded by the last few hours of my experience being kinda bullshit for easily-preventable reasons.
0 CommentsGroup Report: Coziness in Games: An Exploration of Safety, Softness, and Satisfied Needs
Coziness is a common aesthetic in popular games such as Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley, yet it is rarely discussed within design circles. Our group of designers did a deep dive to understand: What is ‘Cozy’? How do we make our games more cozy?
An in-depth and wide-ranging look at coziness in games - what its value is and how you encourage it. As a fan of cozy games, I found myself nodding vigorously at many parts of it.
Tetris 99 Maximus Cup
Continuing my theme of being simultaneously impressed and concerned by Tetris 99, I’m very interested to see that there’s a tournament this weekend. You just play as normal, and the 999 players who rack up the most wins in the time period get 999 My Nintendo gold points (which is baaasically a $10 eShop gift card).
That’s actually pretty damn cool. Meanwhile, the Nintendo Switch Online NES thingy is again only getting two games outside of Japan this month.
0 CommentsHow I'd Fix the Combat in Akiba's Trip: Undead & Undressed
If anyone out there was thinking, “Gee, the combat in Akiba’s Trip: Undead & Undressed sure was mediocre. I wish I knew in long-winded detail how docprof from Pixel Poppers would try to improve it,” then wow is today your lucky day.
And if you weren’t thinking that… well, here are some silly videos I made in that game.
Now, on to the armchair game design!
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2 CommentsI've never seen the appeal of games that push...
I’ve never seen the appeal of games that push “You can kill the NPCs if they’re being annoying!” as a selling point. But what I apparently have needed this whole time is “You can sarcastically dance at the NPCs if they’re being annoying!”
0 CommentsNintendo Badge Arcade had its issues, but I think...
Nintendo Badge Arcade had its issues, but I think my favorite was the accidental implied devil worship.
0 CommentsAchievements and Non-Core Gameplay
Touching a bit more on the “achievements can direct player attention” bit - directing player attention toward optional content with different gameplay requires an even gentler touch than usual.